THE SURPRISING CASE OF ISRAEL AND THE EU
Former Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, at an HJS in the House of Commons on Thursday.
“We in the EU will be unable to emerge from our present crises safe, prosperous, innovative and influential without strong state-to-state relations at home, and healthy alliances with strategic partners in our neighbourhood. We must start by acknowledging and enhancing our critical strategic relationship with the State of Israel.”
“The Surprising Case of Israel and the EU”
When Jose Maria Aznar founded the Friends of Israel (FOI) initiative in 2010 it was as a concerted effort by non-Jewish leaders to re-right the balance in world opinion towards Israel. At a time of boycotts, divestment, sanctions and general de-legitimisation of the Jewish state, FOI put together a group of high level leaders to argue the case for sanity and indeed morality.
The former Spanish Prime Minister was joined by Nobel Peace Prize winner and HJS Trustee, Lord Trimble, former Speaker of the Italian Parliament Marcello Pera, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton as well as historian and HJS academic advisory board member Andrew Roberts among others. Their aim was to speak on a peer-to-peer level with European, South American and other world leaders in private as well as speak to all open-minded citizens of the world in order to right a great wrong.
On Thursday this week HJS was proud to launch a new report in conjunction with FOI in the UK Parliament. Prime Minister Aznar and many other friends came together to launch ‘Added Value: Israel’s Strategic Worth to the European Union and its Member States.’ This joint report is intended to act as a direct counterweight to the efforts of de-legitimisation in Europe and around the world.
In recent months, as Secretary of State John Kerry’s attempt at another peace plan goes on, there has been increased talk in Europe of how Europe might punish Israel if it does not make what for certain European leaders would be deemed satisfactory concessions. No allowance in the debate is made for the fact that it is likely to be a Palestinian rejection of a peace plan rather than an Israeli one – if previous form is to be taken as a guide – which may doom the current negotiations. The discussion operates as though Israel is a nation indebted to Europe and upon whose largesse Israel must beg to be allowed to depend.
Our new report shows quite the opposite. Israel is not just a security, military, technological and scientific ally of the EU, but a major trade benefit. Page 5 of our report lists the billions of Euros of bilateral trade (29.7 billion in good in 2012 alone) from which the EU benefits. The report also catalogues and analyses the billions of Euros of other benefits not to mention the incalculable moral and strategic benefits of having Israel as an ally.
A great wrong has been done to Israel in recent years. A campaign has been waged against the country at all levels. Along with our friends at FOI and other Jewish and non-Jewish people around the world we are proud to be able to make a stand and proud to be able to show that where other people seek to demonise Israel we wish it – along with all of our own societies – to thrive.
Comments are closed.
